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Hi ! Is being diagnosis worth it as an adult?

Jabberwocky

Hello,

I'm 30yrs old and I'm pretty sure I've been on the spectrum since I was 18 when I first found out about it (I'm dyslexic and eye contact made my eyes water uncontrollably among other things). The problem is I'm not sure if being diagnosed is worth it? I've grown accustom to my masking and I'm generally uncomfortable but I don't understand what the benefits of being diagnosed would bring to me? I'm also worried about people finding out I'm REALLY different instead of just being odd. I'm not sure if this diagnosis would reflect poorly on me or make my life difficult?

What as this been like for you?

Parents

  • I'm 64 and the diagnosis last year came as a huge shock and a real surprise (quite a successful career, financially secure, married 30+ years, but struggle with relationships generally).

    Having got the diagnosis, I studied the hell out of Autism, not with popular books but peer refereed academic papers, original research, and academic books for counsellors and other professionals.

    So many cogs dropped into place, explanations for things that had happened in the past.  I am - absolutely definitely - navigating the world with less stress and conflict, and with greater predictability, because I can stand outside my 'autism head' and understand that something which is common sense to me, may not be for everyone else.  I can even predict when that will happen, quite often.

    I’ve learned that to achieve a particular outcome in discussion, the ‘input’ you give has to be completely different.

    In a typically autistic way, I have spread sheets, lists etc of scenarios to watch out for, behaviours (both my own behaviour and NT behaviour) to be aware of etc.  I don’t refer to them, but creating them helped to order my thoughts and generate different strategies for interpersonal communication.  I don’t always get it right, but if I get it wrong I usually know why, fairly quickly.

    Knowing myself better has helped me to know others. 

    It's like walking across Dartmoor for your whole life, making it up as you go along, and somebody suddenly hands you an ordnance survey map, a compass, a smartphone to pick up weather forecasts.

    Different world.

  • in reply to PersonAnon
    PersonAnon said:
    It's like walking across Dartmoor for your whole life, making it up as you go along, and somebody suddenly hands you an ordnance survey map, a compass, a smartphone to pick up weather forecasts.

    This. Beautifully put. A fantastic way of describing what it was like for me when I was diagnosed. (I would add though, to riff on 's comparison, that it does take time how to learn what to do with the ordnance survey map, a compass, a smartphone.)

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  • in reply to PersonAnon
    PersonAnon said:
    It's like walking across Dartmoor for your whole life, making it up as you go along, and somebody suddenly hands you an ordnance survey map, a compass, a smartphone to pick up weather forecasts.

    This. Beautifully put. A fantastic way of describing what it was like for me when I was diagnosed. (I would add though, to riff on 's comparison, that it does take time how to learn what to do with the ordnance survey map, a compass, a smartphone.)

Children
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